Veneer-press.



W. S. CRAIG.

VENEER PRESS.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY 17,1911.

v 1,025,377. Patented May 7,1912.

- 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

W. s. CRAIG.

VENEER PRESS. APPLICATION IILED JULY 17,1911.

- I Patented May 7, 1912. 2 snnswswsnnm z.

UNITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM S. CRAIG, 'O F MONROE, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNORTO CRAIG ENGINEERING COMPANY, OF MONROE, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN.

VENEER-PRESS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 17, 1911.

Patented May '7, 1912.

Serial No. 638,845.

To all whom itmay concern:

of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Veneer-Presses and I do declare the following to :be a full,

clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the sameyreference being had t-othe accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in veneer presses in which the stock or sheets are pressed together after being glued to unite them.

More particularly, the improvements re" late to means whereby the-operation of the press, consisting of lifting and lowering the clamping screws, is greatly facilitated.

Heretofore, in manipulating the screws of a veneer press 1t has been necessary to run the screws up or down as the case may be,

ing loss in work performed.

It is, therefore, the object of this invention to provide means which enable the clamping screws to be raised from the work or dropped to it instantly, as will hereinafter more fully appear.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in section, of a veneer press having my improvements applied; Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation on the line a-a of 1; Fig. 3 is a plan view of one of the sectional nuts; Fig. 4: is a side elevation of the same; Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of a modified form of actuator for the sectional nut; Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the same; and Fig. 7 is a section on the line b b of Fig. 5.

Throughout the specification and drawings, similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts.

Referring to the drawings more part1c ularly, 1 designates the base plate of the press. The stock or sheets 2 after receiving the necessary glue are placed in proper position thereon, preparatory to presslng. Extending from the four corners of the base plate 1, are uprights or bolts 3 headed at one end and receiving nuts at the other. At the upper ends of these upri 'hts, a cap or head plate 4 1s supported. This head plate has a longitudinal opening 5 which receives a plurality of slidable blocks 6. The position of these blocks may be varied owing to the manner of theirmounting. The head plate may be provided with a plurality of recesses and the number of blocks 6 may be varied depending upon the capacity of the press. Each of said blocks receives a clamp or pressure screw 7 with an enlargement or foot 8 which engages the top board of the stock and adds pressure thereto until the stock has sufficiently set or dried. The several screws may each be rotated to co1npress the stock 2 by any well known means, such for example as a notched disk 9 adapted to receive a well known form of spanner wrench (not shown). Cooperating wit-h each of said screws is a split or sectional nut which is constructed as follows. The blocks 6 are each provided with apertured lugs 11 which receive trunnions 12 extending from parts 13. Two of these parts 13 combine to the nut members 13, and provide for the said nut members to be moved laterally out of the way when a screw is manually elevated out of engagement with the veneer stock or lowered to an engaging position. Either is done without turning the screw. The nut portions 13 are provided with dowels 18 which serve to maintain said port-ions in alinement. hen the screws 7 are thus moved, the angular faces or surfaces of the threads will move the nut portions laterally. The said nut portions are moved to engaging positions and are held in such positions by hailsl l pivoted at 15 to the blocks 6. The said bails l t are provided with pins 16 adapted to engage the trunnions 12 and to move the nut portions inwardly. The bails 14: extend on opposite sides of the nuts, thereby permitting said bail to move the nut portions uniformly. The trunnions 12 are provided with cam faces 17 which provide suitable surfaces for the pins 16 to effectually engage and actuate said trunnions. When the bails 14 are in their extreme upper position, the pins 16 will engage the outer ends of the trunnions and will lock the nut members 13 in engagement with the screws 7. The screws may then be operated to press the stock, after said screws have been instantly "dropped or lowered to the positions shown by the two right hand screws in Fig. 1. When the bails 14 are depressed, the nut portions 13 will be released after which the screws may be elevated instantly to admit of additional stock being placed in the press, and again instantly lowered, thus effecting a considerable saving of time in the operation of the presses.

In the drawings I have illustrated a press having three pressure screws; .it will, however, be understood that the number may be greater depending upon the size of the press.

In Figs. 5, 6, and 7 I have illustrated a modified construction in which the head plate 4; consists of two parallel channel bars 20. The lower flanges of these bars support a sliding block 21' provided with a boss 22. The boss 22 is provided with an oval recess 27 which receives the nut portions 13. The trunnions 12 of the nut portions extend through the outer sides of the boss 22, and

' provide bearings for the nuts. Around the outer side of the boss 22, and pivotally held thereon by a plate 25, is a ring 24; provided with a handle 26. The ring 24: is provided with opposite cam portions 23, which are in operative relation with the outer ends of the trunnions 12. When the said ring is rocked, the cam portions 23 will shift the nut portions 13 in engagement with the screw 7 in the same manner as when the bail 1 1 is elevated.

Having described my invention, I clai1n:

. 1. In a Veneer press, the combination with the frame work thereof including base and head plates, and a pressure screw mounted in said head plate, of a sectional nut adapted to engage and release said'screw, the sections of said nut having each a trunnion, said trunnions being carried by the head plate and supporting the sections of the nut, a pivotal member carried by the head plate and extending on opposite sides of the nut, said members having portions therein adapted to engage the trunnions to maintain an engagement between the nut sections and said screw, and to effect a release of such engagement.

2. In a veneer press, the combination with the framework thereof including base and head plates, and a pressure screw mounted in said head plate, of a two part nut adapted to engage and release said screw, each part having a trunnion, journals mounted on the head plate and supporting said trunnions, means for guiding the spreading and closing movements of said nut parts, a bail fulcrumed on said head plate and extending on each side of said nut, said nut adapted to maintain an engagement between the screw and said two part nut, and to release such engagement, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM S. CRAIG.

Witnesses:

LYNOTT BLooneoon, F. C. DEIMZER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

